Chapter 82

"Is there a possibility that my concert doesn't need this kind of collaboration?"

Dazed from being hit by the boomerang, Zhou Yi tentatively asked, and Qian Jiang immediately denied it: "Impossible, absolutely impossible."

"Do you think you're Zhang Xueyou or Leon Lai? They don't need to do this for their concerts."

"Maintain your current momentum; in four, eight, ten years, when the first, second, and third waves of listeners who grew up on your songs have matured, entered society, started earning money, even become the backbone of society—that's when your concerts will reach their peak."

Based on his analysis of Zhou Yi's fan base, Qian Jiang laid out a substantial pie.

Chen Hao, sitting beside him, couldn't help but snicker.

After Qian Jiang left, Chen Hao packed up the contract and script, then turned to the man beside her and invited: "Let's go—to celebrate my first time earning this much pay, I'm treating you to a big meal tonight."

"Fine, give me a 200,000-yuan set, thanks."

"Sure, buy enough meat and vegetables to burst you."

She lightly tapped the man's head with the bound paper contract, smiling: "I can cook for you myself."

"Even if your stove burned down, you couldn't finish it—better skip it."

Laughing, Zhou Yi stood up, put on his mask, sunglasses, and hat, wrapped a gray scarf around his neck again, and followed the woman: "I didn't expect your pay to be this low—I thought you'd get at least 10,000 per episode."

"Of course you can't compare with someone like me—just release one album and you make millions, endorsement fees straight to tens of millions."

"If you only count mainland China, your earning power is undoubtedly the number one on the mainland—even Na Ying, who's been famous in Hong Kong and Taiwan for years, can't match you."

Chen Hao, stepping out to drive, impatiently honked twice: "You probably don't know the TV drama scene—it's not like the music industry, where whether you're famous or not, if your album sells well, you make big money."

"You know Zhang Jianjian, right? He earns 150,000 RMB per episode—I earned less than him for the whole of 'Pink Lady'."

"In the mainland, actors like Chen Daoming get this price for TV dramas."

Two hundred thousand, after paying Qian Jiang's service fee and taxes, left her with even less. That one drama earned less than one episode of his? Chen Hao wasn't exaggerating.

"Don't worry, I believe when you become famous, you'll get 150,000 per episode—even more." Zhou Yi, sitting in the passenger seat, grinned: "Then when you appear in my MV, give me a friend's discount."

Not joking—Chen Hao's Wan Ren Mi would later become a generation's memory, overshadowing even the female lead Liu Ruoying.

Her unique radiant, majestic beauty—no one since the coal baron era, through the internet era, to the traffic era, has matched her aura.

"You're already this famous—do you even need me as your MV female lead? I bet dozens of women are lining up to be your MV heroine."

Chen Hao sneered: "Every day like the Emperor selecting concubines—haven't you forgotten your own country yet?"

"False accusation, blatant slander—watch out, I'll sue you for defamation. Want to be on the Legal Program?"

Zhou Yi, elbow resting on the car window, chuckled: "I don't even know where those rumors about those rookie models came from—most likely people in Xiangjiang and Taiwan trying to ride my coattails."

"Besides, you know me—if I really wanted to pick concubines, I wouldn't pick from those women. I'm not that kind of guy."

Chen Hao, driving, glanced at his waist and said: "You're awfully proud—watch out, you'll get kidney deficiency before you're old." Then she kept her eyes on the road.

"Gifted, thank you."

The red Mazda was stuck in Beijing traffic; with nothing else to do, Zhou Yi bickered with Chen Hao, his "I-don't-care-if-you-boil-me-alive" attitude making her want to stop the car, turn off the engine, and bite him.

No way to argue with him.

Especially when Zhou Yi imitated Tony Leung's tone and said, "No wonder you're stuck in traffic—you drive a Mazda."

While waiting for traffic to move, drivers in neighboring cars rolled down their windows to share cigarettes and chat; on each car's radio, the song "I Love You So Much" played with unusually high frequency.

This caught Zhou Yi's attention.

Strange.

This song's popularity ranked only second-tier in his first album, and for the past half-year it had hovered mid-level—how did its play count suddenly surge after just one New Year?

"Because of the MV."

An hour later, in Beijing, Warner Maitian's office building, Zhou Yi's private lounge.

After witnessing the song's popularity through the traffic jam, Zhou Yi was curious about Zhou Jianhui's answer: "MV?"

"Do you remember who appeared in the MV for this song? Yanzi, Zhang Shaohan, Jay Chou, and yourself."

When discussing the song's sudden resurgence, Zhou Jianhui was delighted: "When Yanzi became famous last year, your MV was already noticed—we leveraged that to promote the Warner Twins."

"But with Jay Chou's sudden rise in November and Zhang Shaohan's explosion in January, plus the recent chart battle in February between Yanzi, Xiao Yaxuan, and Zhang Shaohan, your MV returned to public view."

"Even though the MV's scenes are simple, the fact that all four of you are insanely popular makes it unforgettable. Do you know what people in Taiwan are calling you now?"

Zhou Jianhui teased with a mysterious pause—this genuinely piqued Zhou Yi's curiosity: "What are they calling you?"

"The greatest band combination in Hua entertainment history."

"..."

Zhou Yi was dazed by this golden title.

This crown was a bit too dazzling.

"Are you sure this isn't marketing?"

Zhou Jianhui shook his head: "Virgin and Fong Mao aren't fools, and Alpha Company, Jay Chou's label, is deep in bankruptcy rumors—they have zero interest in hype."

"This slogan was coined by your fans on the island, together with fans from the other three artists."

Zhou Yi on vocals, Sun Yanzi on guitar; Zhang Shaohan on keyboards, Jay Chou on drums.

Though lacking a conventional bassist for a traditional band, ask yourself—isn't this lineup top-tier?

Four of the hottest newcomers forming a band in one MV—this alone was explosive enough.

Worried Zhou Yi didn't grasp how explosive the on-screen band in "I Love You So Much" had become, Zhou Jianhui gave another example: "It's like one day you saw Li Zongsheng, Luo Dayou, Zhou Huajian, and Wu Bai forming a band."

"Of course, I'm not saying your status equals theirs—just describing how wildly popular you four are right now."

"Now many fans still want to see you four reunite and sing a song together—it's pure fantasy. Like getting Luo Dayou, Li Zongsheng, Zhou Huajian, and Wu Bai together—it's impossible."

Finally, Zhou Jianhui reminded Zhou Yi: "If reporters ever ask you, don't say things like 'maybe someday.'"

"Fong Mao and Zhang Shaohan, Alpha and Jay Chou—all signed long-term contracts. Collaboration is fine, but their companies won't allow their currently red-hot artists to play backup for you."

Zhou Yi: "..."

Did I become Zongguan Xian before Zongguan Xian even existed?

(End of this chapter)